A head support for an infant can assist in preventing positional plagiocephaly or flat head syndrome, which may develop from mattress pressure against an infant's soft and malleable skull. The incidence of plagiocephaly has dramatically increased since 1992 when, to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), parents were instructed to always place the infant in the supine (back) position to sleep. Doctors report now that between 10% and 30% of infants have some degree of plagiocephaly from spending extended periods of time lying on a hard surface (such as the crib mattress) in one position. Additionally, a recent study showed that infants that develop flat head syndrome may be more apt to experience delays in physical and mental development. Yet, the instructions for reducing SIDS also recommend that parents not use loose blankets or other loose bedding in the baby's bed to prop the head, as the risk of suffocation increases. So the head may tend to remain in one position, increasing the risk of flat head syndrome. A hard flat surface may also not be the most conducive to deep and restful sleep. The present invention addresses this problem by providing a baby head support pillow that encourages development of the natural head shape to reduce the occurrence of flat head syndrome without introducing loose bedding, while increasing comfortable sleep, and while allowing the baby to remain in the supine position to reduce the incidence of SIDS.
Additionally, due to physical developmental limitations in dexterity and muscle strength, an infant cannot support its own bottle to receive nutrition. Though parents find holding and feeding a baby enjoyable, at times it is necessary to support a bottle in a manner that allows the baby to drink from it. This is particularly an issue when twins or other multiples need to be fed simultaneously or when the parent is required to be otherwise occupied. For instance, the parent may be driving alone with the hungry baby in the car seat, thus requiring a support suitable for holding the bottle in a position allowing the baby to drink.
Further, caring for a baby requires a large number of items, such as accessories, clothing, and gear for feeding, bathing, diapering and traveling. The present invention addresses this problem by providing a compact item serving a dual purpose that is self-contained and easy to store.
Currently, no baby accessory is available having a bottle support and a baby head support that does not involve potentially dangerous loose bedding, yet reduces storage needs by serving a dual purpose. Some products provide side head support, for example, the Boppy® Head Support sold by leading retailers, the baby pillow of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0249526 by Carangelo, and the support cushion of U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,347 by Kantor.
Other available products provide support for a bottle. Varied bottle holders are known in the art and address particular problems and situations.
Some have elastic straps that must be attached around the bottle, such as the bottle holder disclosed by Skinner et al. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,938, Skinner et al. claim a baby bottle holder comprising an envelope simulating the characteristics of an animated figure with an opening and a closure flap configured to allow stuffing to be placed in the envelope and comprising a pair of straps secured to the envelope that constitute the nose of the animated figure and that hold the bottle.
Some bottle support devices require the bottle to be suspended from, or tied to, an infant carrier or stroller, which may be time-consuming and difficult to position correctly, plus may introduce safety problems. Morris, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,213,791, claims a hanging means and a bottle holding means, configured so that the hanging means supports a bottle at the appropriate angle for feeding a baby positioned under the baby bottle holder (such as when in an infant seat). In U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,084, Trumbauer et al. claim a baby bottle support apparatus for attaching to an infant carrier comprising a wedge-shape support member, a cover member to enclose the support member, a high-friction gripping strip connected to the cover, an elastic member extending above the high-friction gripping strip, a bottle positioned between the elastic strip and the gripping surface, and a first and second strap for connecting to an infant carrier. Kunzelman, in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0093513, discloses a filled body having a bottle fastener and support fasteners for attaching to an infant seat or stroller.
Some bottle holders are incorporated into a bib that must be worn by the baby, thus may be troublesome to use and to position. These include the bottle holders disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,225 issued to Goecheritz et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,940 issued to Cameron. Another bottle holder, incorporated into a baby blanket and toy, is disclosed in the U.S. Published Application 2007/0210219 by Hiller. A different type of bottle holder is incorporated into a bib worn by the adult feeding the infant; this type is not usable in many situations, such as to feed a hungry baby in a car seat. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,664, Hood claims a yoke member for securing around the adult's neck, an adhering system to secure the bottle, including an elongated rectangular first attaching surface that receives a second complementary surface that is positioned around the bottle. Thus, one or more bottles surrounded by the second complementary surface may be positioned on the first attaching surface. Yet another type of bottle holder is formed of a foam block with a bottle-receiving channel, such as is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0102810 by Banks.
An additional type of bottle holder is a bottle holder combined with a baby pillow case for holding a baby pillow, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,270 by Rivera and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,399 by Austin. The case for the standard baby pillow in the Austin patent is located in a bib. The bottle holder in the Austin patent is a bag of strong material with an elastic containment band for securing around the bottle neck and with an exterior Velcro® attachment strip (for attaching to the center of the bib at the pillow storage pocket). The removable standard baby pillow is inserted into a pillow storage pocket in the bib, and then the pillow in the pocket may be used to elevate the bottle holder and encased bottle. The “soft structural material” used to form the bib, neck straps, and pocket and the “very soft structural fabric with sponge like fill material for supporting the baby's head” do not conform to the instructions given to parents to prevent SIDS. These instructions from the National Institute of Health state the following: “Keep soft objects and loose bedding away from sleep area.” Thus the baby bottle holder, bib and standard baby pillow combination disclosed are only suitable for use during awake time when the parent is watching. Further, the center of the outward facing pillow pocket is configured with an exposed strip of complementary hook and loop fastener, so precludes resting a baby's head directly on the pillow storage compartment. The pillow pocket stores the pillow during travel, allowing access for removal when it is desired to place the standard baby pillow under the baby's head. Further, though Austin expounds on the virtue of providing both a bottle holder and a pillow for feeding, merely providing a storage compartment for a standard baby pillow (which is not recommended for use due to the risk of SIDS) does not meet the needs expressed. Therefore, Austin's disclosed bib with attachment means for the bottle holder and with storage means for the pillow is not suitable for use during sleeping and so cannot reduce the incidence of flat head syndrome.
Though many and varied bottle holders and pillows are suggested, none of these disclosed inventions endeavor to combine a supportive pillow for the head that also functions to support a bottle into a single device suitable for preventing flat head syndrome in a manner consistent with preventing SIDS.